As we welcome the year 2015, I have shared a message
to Nigerians in general, but I find it crucial to send another message directly
to Nigeria’s youth, who are the major stakeholders of this enterprise.

The year 2014 was a challenging one for most citizens
of our dear country.

We remember our compatriots who were brutishly killed
or maimed by evil terrorists in 2014. I remember with a still broken heart that
219 of our children from Chibok are yet missing, let down by a country that
should protect them. I remember that, even as I speak, some of our towns and
villages are yet under the occupation of Boko Haram.

Yes, it is enough for you to despair. It is enough for
you to wonder if your country cares about you and can protect you. But do not
despair.

2015 has arrived at a time of great discomfort; but the
beauty of the New Year is that we can look forward with renewed hope and the knowledge
that things can and will change.

In Nigeria’s case, we can truly look forward to the
change that the elections can, and will, bring. Our country will be secure
again. Our country will prosper again.

I have faith that 2015 is the year we shall begin to
write a new story - a story of our youth creating jobs and expanding the
frontiers of innovation and creativity everywhere from Mavin Records to the
Co-Creation Hub; a story of genuine investment in our children and students be
they in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka or in the Delta State University,
Abraka; a country that finally makes a permanent shift from our debilitating dependence
on the free-falling price of crude oil.

I have unshakeable faith that 2015 will be the year of
change.

Now some of you have asked me: what exactly does
‘change’ mean?

I have taken time to explain this at different
opportunities, but on this special day, let me remind you in five short
statements.

Change means:

1.A country that you can be proud of at
anytime and anywhere: where corruption is tackled, where your leaders are
disciplined and lead with vision and clarity; where the stories that emerge to
the world from us are full of hope and progress.

2.A Nigeria in which neither yourselves, nor
your parents, families or friends will have to fear for your safety, or for theirs.

3.A Nigeria where citizens get the basics
that any country should provide: infrastructure that works, healthcare that is
affordable, even free; respect for the environment and sustainable development,
education that is competitive and outcome-oriented in a knowledge-economy.

4.A country that provides jobs for its young
people, reducing unemployment to the lowest of single digits and providing
safety nets so that no one is left behind.

5.A Nigeria where entrepreneurship thrives,
enterprise flourishes and the government gets out of your way so that you can
create value, build the economy and aggressively expand wealth.

Are
these things truly possible? Of course. That is the essence and outcome of
leadership, and that is what my party and I promise you as we get into 2015.

My dear friends, this New Year, more than ever before,
I am hopeful about Nigeria.

Yes,
you are disappointed and you are angry, as you are entitled to, but you must never
give in to the temptation to feel so weighed down by those who have failed you
that you lose your hope and your energy and your passion to see change. You must
never give up on Nigeria.

Together,
we can build a nation that is secure, prosperous and gives everyone a fair
chance.

This
is the promise that 2015 holds. That is the promise that change will bring. That
is the promise that I bring to you.